Re: Skulduggery

: : : I used
the word "skullduggery" in an e-mail this morning. I couldn't find it in a dictionary
but Word spell-check gave the OK on two Ls. Then I was paging through a library
book I got at noon -- "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language
in the United States" by Bill Bryson - and happened on the word. Not only did
I misspell it, it appears I misused it too. I hate when that happens.

: : :
Mr. Bryson says "skulduggery" has one L because it comes from the Scottish "sculdudrie,"
a word denoting fornication. (! ! ! !) Which isn't what I meant at all. I meant
plotting and intrigue. Now I'm wondering what the recipient of my e-mail is thinking
about what goes on in my office.

: : The OED has it as - "underhand dealing,
roguish intrigue or machination, trickery" and claims a US origin. It gives several
forms of the spelling, so I guess you are on safe ground there. OED even have
it as a verb - to skuldug, and quote William Faulkner using it in 1936.

: Yes,
that describes my office.

So you mean to say this has nothing to do with digging
up skulls what-so-ever?